slavery

slavery — noun

1. The system in which one person has legal ownership of another person and can for

1.nounB2
Definition

The system in which one person has legal ownership of another person and can force them to work without payment or freedom.

Example

Slavery was legal in the United States until 1865.

collocation: was legal / was abolished

Many people worked together to end slavery in the 1800s.

collocation: end slavery

Common collocations
  • abolish slavery
  • end slavery
  • ban slavery
  • the history of slavery
  • the abolition of slavery
  • chattel slavery
  • the slave trade
Synonyms
  • bondage

    More literary and general; can refer to any state of being bound, not just legal ownership

  • servitude

    Formal or legal term for compulsory service; does not necessarily imply full ownership of a person

  • chattel slavery

    Specific term for slavery where people are treated as movable property; narrower and more formal

Antonyms
  • freedom

    The state of being free from ownership or control

  • liberty

    Emphasizes the legal and political right to be free

Grammar Patterns

slavery + verb (was abolished / ended)

in + slavery (in a system of)

Usage Note

Often used with verbs like 'abolish', 'ban', 'end', 'outlaw' to describe the act of stopping the system. Subject is usually a government or legislative body.

Common Mistakes

Working overtime this week is slavery.
Working overtime this week feels like hard labor.
'Slavery' implies being owned and forced against your will, not just working hard.

2. A situation where one human being is treated as the legal property of another an

2.nounB1
Definition

A situation where one human being is treated as the legal property of another and made to work without any payment.

Example

Apinya read a book about a woman who lived through slavery in ancient Rome.

preposition: lived through slavery

Theo could not imagine what it was like to be born into slavery.

preposition: born into slavery

Common collocations
  • born into slavery
  • sold into slavery
  • escape from slavery
  • free someone from slavery
  • live in slavery
  • held in slavery
Synonyms
  • enslavement

    Focuses on the process of being made a slave rather than the ongoing condition

  • captivity

    Broader term for being held against your will; does not necessarily involve forced labor

  • subjugation

    Formal; refers to being brought under control, often by force

Antonyms
  • freedom

    The state of not being owned or controlled

  • liberation

    The act of being set free from slavery or captivity

Grammar Patterns

into + slavery (born into / sold into)

from + slavery (escape from / freed from)

in + slavery (live in / keep in)

Usage Note

Commonly appears with prepositions such as 'into' (sold into ~, born into ~), 'from' (escape from ~, freed from ~), and 'in' (live in ~, keep someone in ~).

Common Mistakes

She was kept in slavery for years.
She was held in slavery for years.
The mistake is using 'slavery' metaphorically for any unpleasant situation, e.g. ❌ 'My job is slavery.'

3. Situations where threats, force, or lies are used to make people work in terribl

3.nounB2
Definition

Situations where threats, force, or lies are used to make people work in terrible conditions for almost no money.

Example

Shanti volunteers for a group that helps victims of modern slavery.

collocation: modern slavery

The charity reported that millions of people are trapped in slavery today.

collocation: trapped in slavery

Common collocations
  • modern slavery
  • victims of slavery
  • trapped in slavery
  • human trafficking and slavery
  • forced labor slavery
  • end modern slavery
Synonyms
  • forced labor

    More neutral legal term; focuses on the work being involuntary rather than on ownership

  • human trafficking

    Refers specifically to the trade and transport of people for exploitation; narrower in scope

  • exploitation

    Broader term for unfairly using someone for profit or gain

Antonyms
  • fair labor

    Work that provides proper pay, conditions, and worker rights

  • decent work

    Formal term used by international organizations for acceptable working conditions

Grammar Patterns

modern slavery

a form of slavery

trapped in slavery

Usage Note

Frequently used with the modifier 'modern' or 'present-day' to distinguish this from historical slavery. Common in discussions of human trafficking, forced labor, and supply-chain ethics.

Common Mistakes

The workers are living in modern slavery because the job is boring.
The workers are living in modern slavery because they are forced to work 16-hour days with no pay.
'Modern slavery' requires actual coercion and exploitation, not just dissatisfaction.

Word family

  • slave
    nounB1
  • enslave
    verbB2
  • enslaved
    adjectiveB2
  • enslavement
    nounC1
  • enslaver
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Bondage, servitude, and enslavement all relate to being controlled by another person, but they differ in scope and register. Slavery (sense 1) refers specifically to the legal system of owning people as property — an institution backed by law. Bondage is more literary and general, describing any state of being physically or metaphorically bound, and can include debt bondage or sexual bondage without implying full legal ownership. Servitude is a formal or legal term for compulsory service to a master, often under a contract or custom rather than outright ownership. Enslavement focuses on the act of making someone a slave rather than the system or condition itself. For example: 'The slavery practiced in the American South was abolished in 1865' describes a legal institution; 'The prisoners were kept in bondage for months after the war' describes confinement without implying legal ownership; 'The law required the debtor to perform servitude until the loan was repaid' describes a different legal arrangement.

bondage ↗servitude ↗enslavement

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • the end of slavery
  • the history of slavery
  • a form of slavery
  • victims of slavery

Prepositions

  • into slavery
  • from slavery
  • in slavery
  • under slavery

Etymology

Medieval LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Slavery comes from the word 'slave', which entered English through Old French 'sclave'. The root goes back to Medieval Latin 'sclavus', meaning 'Slavic person', because many Slavs were captured and sold as slaves in early medieval Europe. The suffix '-ery' was added to form a noun meaning 'the practice or condition of'. The word gradually replaced earlier terms like 'thraldom' and 'bondage' as the primary word for this concept in English.